Automatic sprinkler.



PATENTED JAN. 29, 190? J. TAYLOR. AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1904.

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' NITED sTArEs ATENT OFFICE. A

JOHN TAYLOR, or MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, AssIe oE TO GENERAL FIR-E EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y, A CORPORATION F NEW YORK.

' AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER} Application filed May 25, 1904. Serial No. 209.735.

drawings, forming apart of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The present invention relates to that ty e of automatic sprinklers in which the sprink er is held closed by a flangible vessel or sup port and is released by the expansive or explosiveforceof the contents of such fiangible vessel induced by the action of heat. An

automatic sprinkler ,of this type has been heretofore suggested, but so far as I am aware all prior attempts to produce a practical commercial sprinkler of this character havebeen unsuccessful, and no sprinkler of this type has heretofore been introduced into e when constructed as as been that frequently the flangible vessel or support would not be destroyed or removed from position by the expansion of its contents when subjected to the degree of heat at which it was desired the sprinkler should open, but would instead bev merely fractured so as to permit the escape of the contents without destroying the sup,-

porting vessel or removing it from position, and thus without releasing the valve. Another serious difficulty has been that such sprinklers, even when the flangible vessel was destroyed and the valve released, would ture.

not operate or become opened with any degree of regularity I Each of these difficulties rendered the sprinkler unreliable and wholly unfit for practical use.

As the result of numerous periments-I. have discovered that what is essential forthe production of an automatic sprinkler shall open, and so that when the sprinkler of the type referred to which shall be adapted for practical use is that the material to be employed as the contents of the flangible vessel or support shall be such as will boil or become gaseous at or about the temperature at which it is desired the contents of the vessel has by the rise of the temperature to the predetermined point ,ex-

One serious difficulty with at the predetermined tempera-- tests and Patented Jan. 29,1907.

panded sufliciently to fracture or rupture the vessel, such contents will when thus released from the restraint of the containing vessel and exposed to the atmosphere mstan-.

taneously become gaseous thereby creatin a sudden and violent explosion, whichwil serve to completely shatter the vessel, and

thereby. insure the complete release of the valve and the opening of the sprinkler. I

have further found as the result of such tests that automatic sprinklers-constructed upon the rinci 1e and ha the mode of o eration abov described w ifl p to operate successfully and fully release the valve, but that any number of sprinklers so constructed will each 0 erate at substantially the predetermine temperature and with the same regularity and uniformity as the automatic sprinklers now in use provided with solder-jointed holding devices.

Thematerial which I have employed as the contents of the frangible vessel has been an alcoholic liquor or spirit which boils or vaporizes at-approximately 165 Fahrenheit and which is adapted for use in the construction of sprinklers designed to open at 165 Fahrenheit, which is the operating temperature of the sprinklers most commonly employed.

not only be certain Other materials or mixtures of materials may onl that t e material or mixture be such as vwil boil or vaporize at approximately the temperature at which itis esired the sprinkler shall open, whether such temperature be 165 Fahrenheit or any other predetermined temperature. Given the' temperature at which it is desired the sprinkler shall open, it is simply necessary that a material or mixture shall be selected as the contents of the frangible vessel which will boil or vaporize at approximately that temperature.

It is preferred, in order to secure the best results, that when the fran 'ble vessel or support is in place in the sprini ler and subjected to normal temperatures the contents should not entirely fill the vessel, in order that as the temperature rises beyond the normal there may be room within the vessel for the initial expansionof its contents to take place without fracturing or rupturing the vessel and so that fracture or rupture of the vessel will not occur until the contents has reached approximately its boiling or vaporizing point.

I be used in lace'of alcohol or spirit, provided a res sel and its contents to secure this result is to Subject the vessel with the material or mix- 'ture up to approximately its boiling or vaporizing point, taking'care that the vessel shall be completely filled with the material or mixture at this temperature and then tightly close the vessel, preferably by hermetlcally sealing the same. I When, now, the vessel and its contents are subjected to normal temperatures, the contents will contract and so as not to entirely fill the vessel. This method of pre aring the vessel and its contents insures that when the same are again subjected to approximately the predetermined temperature the contents wil expand, so as to again completely fill the vessel, and so that any further-expansion will roduce the desired fracture or rupture of t e vessel, and further insures that when such fracture or rupture takes lace the contents of the vessel will be at its oiling or vaporizing point, and so that u on its release and exposure to the atmosphere it will instantaneously assume a gaseous form and produce the desired explosion. I prefer to make the fra ible vessel of glass, as glass has been found to e especially adapted to meet therequirements of the case, and,

furthermore, a glass vessel may be conveniently hermetically sealed by fusing.

Referring to the drawin s, Figure 1 represents an automatic sp er embodyin my invention, and Fig. 2 is a central longitu inal section thereof.

The s rinkler shown embodies a body portion A, aving a frame B preferably screwed into the body portion. A flexible diaphragm C, having a central opening therein and properly secured in place, referably by clamping the outer ed e thereo between the body portion A and t e frame B,- constitutes the seat for the valve D. This valve is preferably made of glass, and a metal cap E rests thereon. F is the frangible vessel or support, preferably made of lass. As shown, the frangi-i ble vessel F is su stantially spherical in shape or in the form of a bulb with a projecting neck f. This projecting neck f forms a convenient means for introducin the alcoholic liquor or other material or mixture into the vessel and also enables the vessel to be readily hermetically sealed by fusing together the tect the projecting neck f of the frangible liill said vessel, and which will then by end of said projecting neck, as shown. In the construction shown the frangible vessel F is employed as a means to hold the valve D to its seat, and said vessel is itself held in place by means of a metal cap G, secured to the frame-B. This metal cap G is preferably provided with a projecting stem g, which is screw-threaded exteriorly, so that it ma be screwed into the frame B and the cap be thus adjusted in position with relation to the frame. The projecting stem 9 is also preferably made hollow, so as to receive and proi vessel, thecap G being centrally perforated to receive said projecting neck. The cap G also serves as a distributer forthe water.

While I have shown and described a convenient form of sprinkler embodying my invention, it is to be understood that the construction of the sprinkler may be widely varied and is in no way material so far as the present invention is concerned, the essential and characteristic feature of said invention consisting, broadly, in the employment of a material or mixture as the contents of the frangible vessel which boils or becomes gase ous at approximately the tem erature at which it is desired the sprinkler all 0 en.

hile I prefer to em loy the frangib e vessel as a means for ho ding an independent valve to its seat, because in such a construc- I tion the frangible vessel is out of contact with the water in the sprinkler, and is consequentlymore sensitiveand-reliable, such frangible vessel might, if desired, be employed to directly close the waterwa of the spr nkler, and thus itself constitute the valve, and it is to be understood that such latter construction would be equally within my invention;

As will be understood, the present invention not only makes practical the construction of automatic s rmklers of the character referred to which will operate with regularity and uniformity at substantially the predetera material or mixture the boiling-point of which is at approximately the. temperature at which it is desired the s rinkler shall open, substantially as described 2. An automatic sprinkler embodying in its construction as a means for holding said sprinkler closed a frangible vessel containinga non-gaseous material or mixture which as it expands will serve to fracture the vessel,

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and which when released by such fracture will become gaseous, thereby producing an ex losio'n and shattering the vessel, substantia ly as described.

3. An automatic sprinkler embodying in its construction as a means for holding said s rinkler closed a frangible vessel partially fi led at normal temperatures with a mixture vor material which, when subjected to a temperature approximating its boiling or vaporizing point will expand so as to completely its furnation, with the valve, of a frangible vessel for holding said valve to its seat, said frangible vessel contalning a material or mlxture the boiling-point of which is at approximately the temperature at which it is desired the sprinkler shall open, substantially as described.

5. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination, with the valve, of a'frangible vessel for holding said valve to its seat, said frangible vessel containing a non-gaseous material or mixture which as it expands will serve to fracture the vessel, and which when released by such fracture will become gaseous, thereby producing an explosion and shattering the vessel, substantially as described.

6. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination,'with the valve, of a frangible vessel for holding said valve to its seat, said frangible vessel being partially filled at normal temperatures with a mixture or material which, when subjected to a temperature approximating its boiling or vaporizing point, will expand so as to complete y fill said vessel, and which will then by its further expansion serve to fracture the vessel and upon its release assume a gaseous form, substantially as described.

7. An automatic sprinkler embodying in its construction as a means for holding said sprinkler closeda frangible vessel containing a non-gaseous material or mixture adapted by expansion to fracture the vessel and adapted to become gaseous upon the reduction of pressure produced by such fracture.

JOHN TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

F. H. MAYNARD, WILLIAM O. BLANDING. 

